First Baptist Church Excavation Project

Colonial Williamsburg has partnered with the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation to locate the remains of the Nassau Street site of the First Baptist Church. The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg is one of the country’s earliest African American congregations and was founded by free and enslaved Black worshippers. This project will guide how this site is interpreted, commemorated, and ultimately recreated so present and future generations may learn about this nationally significant Church.

In the first phase of excavation, the team located the foundation of the 1856 church, along with the remains of an earlier building. While we do not yet know whether the remains of the early structure represent the “Baptist Meeting House,” where the congregation worshipped beginning in the early 19th century, a second phase of work is set to begin in January 2021 and hopes to answer that question and many more. In the second, expanded phase of excavation, the team will be taking a closer look at the previously identified structure and searching for others on the lot to try and locate the building where the congregation first met for worship in the city of Williamsburg.

In addition to identifying any structures that may have served as an early meeting space for the congregation that would come to be known as the First Baptist Church, archaeologists will work to identify burials that may be associated with the church. This process will be guided by members of the First Baptist Church and the community of its descendants so that any burials located may be protected and memorialized.

The archaeological work at the Historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg on Nassau Street offers a unique opportunity for Colonial Williamsburg to strengthen our partnership with the Church and its community of descendants. Together, we will work to understand and share the story of this nationally significant site.

Read updates from the project timeline below to learn more.

August 2022 – Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists are excavating three burials at the original location of the First Baptist Church, launching an extensive process to unearth information about who was buried there and the lives they led.

• Read news coverage
  • Washington Post: Excavation of graves begins at historic Black church in Virginia

July 2022 – After a private blessing ceremony, archaeologists began excavating suspected graves at the original site of the First Baptist Church.

• Read news coverage
  • AP News: Remnants of Black church uncovered in Colonial Williamsburg

October 2021 – Archaeologists shared with the First Baptist Church descendant community, and then the wider community that they believe they’ve found what they and members of First Baptist Church have been searching for: the church’s first permanent structure dating to the early 1800s. The announcement coincides with the church’s community-wide 245th anniversary celebration this weekend. You can read more in the press release here.

• Read news coverage
  • Washington Post: Remnants of Black church uncovered in Colonial Williamsburg
  • The Virginia Gazette: Colonial Williamsburg team discovers historic First Baptist Church’s original structure, buried for 165 years
  • WYDaily: Historic First Baptist Church Original Permanent Structure Discovered During Archaeological Dig
  • Religion News: Remnant of one of the oldest Black churches in US is unveiled in Virginia
  • CNN: Brick foundation of one of America’s oldest Black churches has been found, buried under a parking lot
  • The New York Times: Archaeologists Unearth Foundation of Historic Black Church Formed in 1776
  • NPR: The remnants of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches have just been found
    

July 2021 – Archaeologists met with the project steering committee to update the community on findings, including more information about the found burials.

• Read news coverage:
  • Washington Post: Archaeologists find 21 graves predating the 20th century in the excavation of the site of the old First Baptist Church on Nassau Street in the former Virginia capital.
  • Daily Press: 21 Grave Shafts Discovered at First Baptist Church Site in Colonial Williamsburg
• Watch news coverage:
  • WVEC-TV: Colonial Williamsburg Archaeologists Unearth 21 Graves at the site of What is Believed to be One of the First Black Christian Chuches in the U.S.

February 2021 –When archaeologists found human remains, the project steering committee gathered virtually to seek community input on next steps. Descendants of the church’s earliest members said they want the archaeology to continue to continue to learn as much as possible about the church’s early congregation, and who the deceased were, so that they can be properly honored. You can watch this February 22, 2021 meeting in the videos below.

• Read news coverage:
  • Washington Post: Human remains found at Williamsburg archaeology dig
• Watch news coverage:
  • Today Show: One of the oldest Black churches in US uncovered in Williamsburg, Virginia

January 2021 – Phase two of excavations begin, under the guidance of today's First Baptist Church congregation.

November 2020 – As phase one of excavations wrap up, community and archaeology project leaders met to discuss to share key findings, including evidence of burial grounds. Read our blog update and watch our community meeting in the video section below.

• Read news coverage:
  • The New York Times: Grave Is Found at Site of Historic Black Church in Colonial Williamsburg
  • Washington Post: Graves found at site of historic Virginia Black church
  • WIRED: The Quest to Unearth One of America’s Oldest Black Churches
  • WYDaily.com: Here are the key findings so far in the excavation of the Historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg site
  • The Virginia Gazette: Archaeologists in Colonial Williamsburg uncover more findings at First Baptist Church site as Phase 1 of the dig ends
• Watch news coverage:
  • WTKR (CBS Norfolk): Discovered human remains to be identified and will help learn local church's history, researchers say

October 2020 – Phase one excavations revealed intact foundations of the early First Baptist Church structure. In addition to unearthing the church’s 19th-century foundations, archaeologists found a smaller brick structure that predates the 1856 building.

• Read news coverage:
  • Virginia Gazette: Archaeologists in Colonial Williamsburg uncover foundations of historic First Baptist Church, one of America’s oldest churches founded by free and enslaved Blacks
  • The Dogwood: Searching for History: Group Uncovers Virginia’s First Black Church
• Watch news coverage:
  • WVEC (ABC Norfolk): UNEARTHING HISTORY: The dig to find America's first Black congregation in Colonial Williamsburg

September 2020 - Under guidance of First Baptist Church, we began to excavate the site of America’s oldest church founded by enslaved and free blacks at the intersection of Nassau and Francis streets in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Read our press release.

• Read news coverage:
  • Washington Post: Beneath a Virginia parking lot rest the bones of an old Black church and, perhaps, its worshipers
  • Smithsonian Magazine: Archaeologists Are Excavating One of the Nation’s Oldest Black Churches
  • NBC News: Archaeologists dig to uncover one of America's first Black churches in Colonial Williamsburg
  • Virginia Mercury: ‘Part of the destiny of this country’: Church site excavation aims to unearth African American contributions
  • Because of Them We Can: Archaeologists Work to Uncover One of America’s First Known Black Christian Churches
• Watch news coverage:
  • WAVY (NBC Norfolk): Colonial Williamsburg starts dig at site of historic Black church
• Listen to news coverage
  • WHRO Radio: 'We Were Here, We Counted, We Mattered': A Historic Black Church Rediscovers Its Roots in Colonial Williamsburg

May 2020 - First Baptist Church and Colonial Williamsburg teamed up with archaeologists from the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation to conduct ground-penetrating radar. Radar indicated evidence of remains of the early structure used by members of First Baptist Church — originally founded in secret by free and enslaved Blacks at the start of America’s Revolution — prompting the planning of further excavations.